EP-B-0 143 197 already discloses a collapsible container of this type wherein each container section or each shell, offset to the axis of the hinges, has at the upper side hooking elements, with which power-driven hooks of a suspended cross arm, disposed at a crane boom or the like, can be coupled for lifting as well as for controlling the opening and closing process, and wherein a bulkhead wall, which disposed between the opening sides of mutually adjacent container sections or shells, can be locked in its closed position at or in front of the opening side of a container section or a shell, and can be converted in at least one forced-apart position of these container sections or shells by an actuator from the locked position into an unlocked position. EP-B-0 143 197 also discloses devices for suspending and unfolding the same, wherein said devices work with a suspended cross arm disposed on crane boom or the like.
In the case of these known collapsible containers, however, the two container sections or shells, which are coupled to one another by hinges, enclose, in their closed position, only a single space, so that these dimensions correspond to the total capacity of the collapsible container. For collecting different types of valuable materials, salvaged material and garbage, such as used glass, old papers or the like, several such collapsible containers must therefore always be set up and disposed of, which requires much space and greater expenditure for labor.
Therefore, to avoid these disadvantages, DE-U-88 05 173 proposes a collapsible container, which is suitable for making it possible to collect and store different materials separately in a relatively confined space and, at the same time, for ensuring a simplified disposal of these different materials. These advantages are achieved by providing a bulkhead wall disposed between the opening sides of mutually adjoining container sections or shells of the collapsible container. In its closed position, said bulkhead wall can be locked at or in front of the opening side of a container section or shell and converted from the locked position into an unlocked position in at least one forced-apart position of this container section or shell. Due to the power-driven opening process, effected with the suspended cross arm, it is possible to open up at first only the collection space of one container section or shell for emptying and only subsequently, as well as at a different place, to unlock the bulkhead wall in front of the opening side of the other container section or the other shell, so that the collection space of this container section or this shell can then also be opened for emptying, but at a different time.
A collapsible container of DE-U-88 05 173 enables two different types of valuable materials, salvaged material, garbage or the like to be collected, stored and subsequently also disposed of closely together but separately from one another.
Frequently, however, the need arises to collect, store and also dispose of at one place more than two types of valuable materials, salvaged material, garbage or the like. This is the case, for example, for the so-called glass recycling, for which white glass, green glass and brown glass have to be handled separately. Consequently, it makes sense to collect and dispose of these three types of glass separately, so that a special sorting process no longer has to be inserted before the reutilization or recycling.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a collapsible container of the type discussed above in which, with relatively little additional constructional effort, three different collection chambers can be made available.